


Waking

by Oloriel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Missing Scene, Post-Battle of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:00:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25459708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oloriel/pseuds/Oloriel
Summary: Playing in the collective sandbox(es) of JK Rowling, Warner Bros and the relevant publishers. No financial gain is derived from this work. All mistakes are mine.
Kudos: 3





	Waking

In the end, it was Minerva and Narcissa who brought him back to the castle. 

"Professor McGonagall," A hoarse voice called from the greenhouse ruins, the cadence still instantly recognisable. Narcissa stopped abruptly, still except for the rapid rising and falling of her chest.

"Is that Professor Snape?" Before either woman could respond, Luna Lovegood came walking towards them, a large bouquet of fragrant herbs and flowers in her arm. 

"Miss Lovegood," Minerva responded, smiling faintly. "You-surely you should be resting, with the others,"

"He is dead, then,'' she came closer, coming to a stop next to the hovering, black-covered stretcher. "Mind if I walk with you three?" Narcissa nodded, and the three women marched on silently with the body between them.

The sun, Minerva decided, is too damned bright for a day like this. 

They passed into an empty classroom via a side courtyard, far enough from the Hall for people not to wander this way. Narcissa hastily elongated a desk for the body. Minerva summoned a large pail of scented water and a small mountain of towels.

"He'll need a shroud, Mrs Malfoy," Luna set down her bouquet of greenery, and extracted a clean handkerchief from her breast pocket. She enlarged it with a graceful flick of her wand, and rested the neatly folded bundle of plain white linen at the foot of the body. "Will this do?"

"Yes," Narcissa nodded. "Thank you, Miss Lovegood. We-Professor McGonagall and I-we are going to wash him first. He lost-a lot of blood,"

"May I see him?"

''Miss Lovegood," Narcissa said uncertainly. "He-he's not-he's _nearly decapitated_ by the bite that killed him-I don't think you should-"

"Not that different from the manor cellars, then," Luna merely shrugged, and gently drew back a corner of the blood-stiffened gown.

"Everyone look so young in death," she stated at length. With that, she took up her bouquet, and was gone.


End file.
